Dance Lessons
by Jennifer Collins
Summary: Jessie tries to teach Buzz how to Square Dance.


Disclaimer: I don't own the Toy Story movies or characters. Warning: Minor Toy Story 3 spoilers.

**Dance Lessons  
**By Jennifer Collins

The toys in Bonnie's room were buzzing about. It was three days after Andy had dropped his toys off at Bonnie's house, and her family had just left for a week long end of summer vacation. It wasn't very often that Bonnie's toys were left without her, and they weren't sure what to do.

"Let's have a party!" Jessie eagerly suggested. Dolly was hesitant.

"We should do something that involves both groups of toys interacting with each other," Buzz pointed out.

"Like a friendly competition?" Buttercup asked. All the toys' eyes lit up at that suggestion.

Dolly touched a non-fingered hand to her round chin. "Alright.. I think you're onto something," she said. "Okay, we'll have an event. Something where we have to pick teams."

"Ooooh! Ooooh! Pick me!" Rex shouted.

"I'll pick you!" Trixie enthusiastically offered. Rex beamed.

"What did you toys have in mind?" Woody asked.

Dolly's eyes narrowed playfully. "Why don't you pick the event, Sheriff?"

Woody pulled his hat down lower on his head. "A dance off."

"Ooooooooooohhhh!" The three green aliens chorused.

All the toys jumped up and down excitedly.

Dolly smiled. "Well received, Sheriff. And the terms?"

Woody leaned forward. He hesitated in order to create a feeling of anticipation. "A square dance. Last square left standing gets to pick tomorrow night's event. I'm calling."

"Yee-haaaaaah!" Jessie enthused.

Bonnie's old toys clapped and cheered.

"Okay then. Pick your partners, pick your squares," Dolly agreed.

The toys all murmured amongst themselves as they teamed up.

"Buzz! Buzz!" Jessie shouted as she tugged on his arm. "Be my partner!"

Buzz looked up at her hesitantly.

"Whatsa matter, Space Boy? Don't you wanna be my partner?" She stuck out her bottom lip.

"Of course I want to be your partner, Jessie. It's just.." He trailed off.

"Come on, Buzz! We'd beat the pants off these guys!" She studied him curiously. "Dontcha know how to square dance?" She gasped, covering her mouth with both hands. "You don't know, do you?"

Buzz shrugged his shoulders.

"Well, come on! I'll teach ya!" She began tugging on his arm again, harder this time. "Let's go to the library! I don't want any of these other toys spying on our tactic!"

Buzz laughed as she dragged him forward.

The two toys took advantage of the excitement in Bonnie's room to make their escape out the door. Once in the hall, they scurried across to the library, hoping that the door was left open.

"Yee-haahh!" Jessie shouted as she pried it wide enough for the two of them to slip in. "Okay, the first thing to remember is that there's three other couples in the square."

"Couples?"

"Yup. Dance partners." She pulled him to the center of the room. "There. We'll stand here and be the head couple. Now, honor your partner."

Buzz's expression was confused. "You have really soft, lovely hair."

Jessie giggled. "Thanks, Buzz. But you're supposed to bow." She demonstrated.

"Oh.. I see." He followed her lead.

"Good. Now, honor your corner." She pointed in front of her. "My corner's here to the right of me, and yours is over there on your left." She bowed to her corner and looked back to check if he was doing it too. She frowned when he didn't. "You didn't honor your corner."

"There's no one there."

"It's just pretend, silly! There's gonna be a full square later on tonight!"

"Okay, fine." Buzz honored his corner.

Jessie clapped her hands. "Great! Now promenade me home." She held her left hand out and placed her right hand against her back. "Well?" She said, looking at him expectantly.

"Uh, Jessie… " He leaned in close to her ear. "We are home."

She howled with laughter. "No! Home is where we started out at the head of the square… er.. here. We walk around the square and stop when we get home,"she explained. She shook her hands. "You're supposed to hold onto me."

"Alright then." He eagerly wrapped both his arms around her waist from behind. "How's this?" He whispered into her ear.

Jessie blushed. "You were supposed to hold my hands."

"Oh. Well, I prefer it like this." He reluctantly let her go and took her hands. They walked around the square once. "Now what?"

"Um, let's do si do," She suggested.

"Now that I know how to do," He said expertly. She was delighted to see that he really did know. "Now the dip?" He asked as he pulled her into his arms and bent her backward.

"No, Buzz. There's no dip in this kind of dance," She said. "Now swing your partner!"

Buzz grinned. "Gladly!" With that, he gripped her waist on either side and hoisted her into the air.

"BU-UZZ!" She squealed, kicking her legs as he spun her around. She was giggling so hard she had to grab onto his shoulders to steady herself when he set her back down on the floor. "You swing me by the elbow. Here, I'll show you," She was still laughing when she hooked her arm through his and moved forward.

She leaned all the way to her left, and he leaned all the way to his right, each toy shifting their weight in opposite directions. They swung each other fast twice around and then tumbled onto the floor in a fit of laughter.

"I didn't realize square dancing was so dangerous," Buzz said, untangling his legs from hers.

Jessie sighed. "It's not," she replied.

Buzz thought for a moment. "Hmmm…" He said, pulling her to her feet. "Does it go something like this?" He bowed at the waist, then clasped her hands and led her around their imaginary square in a perfect promenade before executing an expert do si do and swinging her twice by the elbow. Then he grabbed her right hand with his left and pretended to take the hands of the other dancers in their square before he came back to her and bowed again.

For a moment, Jessie was dumbfounded. "Yeah, just like that," she said incredulously. "But how did you-?"

He winked. "I'm a fast learner."

"Hey! Waitaminut… you tricked me!" She shouted.

Buzz laughed. "Remember, I spent eight months in Andy's room with Woody and the gang before you joined us."

Jessie put her hands on her hips.

"Aw, come on. You had fun being the teacher," He said, wrapping his arms around her.

"Yeah, and I'll teach you something else too!" She yelled, shaking her fist at him.

He scooped her up and flashed his charming, sparkly teeth smile at her and for a moment she forgot why she was mad at him.

"Come on, Partner," He said, pulling her close. "How about I carry you back to Bonnie's room and we show these toys how it's done?"

Jessie grinned. "You got it, Partner."


End file.
